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Greater Lowell Tech teachers paid to play in charity golf tourney

By Sarah Favot, sfavot@lowellsun.com

Updated:
01/06/2013 07:11:51 AM EST

LOWELL -- Three Greater Lowell Technical High School teachers played in a local charity golf tournament on a September school day and were listed on payroll records as being out of the building on "school business," The Sun has learned.

School Superintendent-Director Mary Jo Santoro, who also played in the event, approved the absence of social studies teacher Brian Martin and physical-education teachers Paul Feeney and Patrick Moriarty. The district hired three substitute teachers, at $90 each, to fill in for the day.

The trio was part of two Greater Lowell Tech groups -- one for the teachers and the other for administrators -- to hit the links on Monday, Sept. 17, to participate in the event benefitting the Alternative House, a Lowell-based nonprofit domestic-violence agency and shelter. Mount Pleasant Golf Course, located in Lowell, hosted the 18-hole tournament.

The other Greater Lowell Tech attendees, along with Santoro, were Elizabeth Bennett, who heads the school's English Department; Don Ducharme, technology cluster chairperson; and Jill Davis, director of special education.

The four administrators either used personal or vacation days to take the day off from school, according to payroll records obtained by The Sun through a Freedom of Information Act request. Santoro took a personal day. Bennett and Ducharme took vacation days. Davis was listed as a "non-work" day.

The three teachers earned their regular salary and were never listed as missing a school day even though they did not teach any classes.

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The teachers were listed as on "School Business," according to payroll records.

The teachers' golfing trio won the tournament.

When initially approached by a reporter concerning this story, Santoro declined to identify which Greater Lowell Tech staff members attended the tournament and how they were compensated for the day off. The Sun was file a public-records request with the school.

"I needed the teachers' permission to share regarding what they did with their time out of the building on any given day," Santoro said in an email message. "I do not have their permission to do that, but they're entitled to privacy on that."

George O'Hare, a Lowell representative on the Greater Lowell Tech School Committee, is a former board member of Alternative House and co-chairs the Alternative House golf tournament. He confirmed the names of the participants.

Santoro, without naming staff members who participated, said she was proud the school was represented at the event.

"We have a strong partnership with Alternative House. They support our initiatives and we support their initiatives. I think it's important to build those partnerships between schools and community organizations," she said.

When asked how it was decided which teachers would attend, Santoro said: "I approached one teacher in the building who had very good attendance, who I knew enjoyed the game of golf, and I asked him if he would be willing to represent the school at a fundraiser with one of our community partners."

She said she told the teacher, whom she declined to identify, that he could register as a Greater Lowell Tech staff team and he could bring three teachers with him.

Santoro said the criteria to attend was the teachers had to have a good attendance record and must be willing to pay the $150 individual registration fee on their own.

George Garabedian, the school's business manager, confirmed no payment was made from district accounts to Alternative House for the golf tournament registration fee of $600 per foursome.

Santoro said she offered the teachers who participated in the golf event to take a "school business" day, which are approved by her, because she approached them and because they were representing the school.

"A school business day is when a staff member goes out to any event or any venue representing the school," she said.

When asked why the administrators used personal time whereas the teachers were on "school business," Santoro said the administrators received their own invitations to attend.

"They're on their own. If they choose to go, they go and they have to take a personal or vacation day," she said.

Santoro said Greater Lowell Tech has always been represented at the Alternative House tournament.

The school's participation in the golf tournament has significance for other reasons. The day before the tournament -- Sunday, Sept. 16 -- a former security guard at the school was arrested, accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend, who suffered life-threatening injuries.

School Committee member Erik Gitschier, of Lowell, said in an interview he was trying to reach Santoro on the day of the tournament to find out what had happened to the security guard. He said when he called the school, executive secretary Cheryl Gosselin told him Santoro was out of the building.

Gitschier later filed a motion requesting the superintendent to inform the entire School Committee when she is out of the building for the day. Gitschier's request sparked a sharp response from Santoro, who accused the board member of making repeated requests of her that felt "very much like harassment." The comments were made during an October school board meeting and prompted an ongoing investigation by the school's attorney and Human Resources Department into Santoro's harassment claims.

Gitschier said if he knew Santoro was taking a personal day or vacation, he would not have called her.

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